RUS to Clarify Definitions, Agency Official Says
RUS and NTIA will further clarify the definitions of some major terms in the notice of funds availability (NOFA), said Cheryl Cook, the agricultural department’s deputy undersecretary for rural development, at a House subcommittee hearing Thursday. Cooke said the clarifications of the terms, including “rural” and “remote,” should come out over the next two weeks.
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Cook was responding to concerns that the current definitions caused confusion and could exclude regions that should receive funding. Chairman Michael McIntyre, D-N.C., said none of 100 counties in his state could apply for a fully RUS-funded grant under the current definitions. Only “remote” areas, an unserved area 50 miles from the limits of a non-rural area, can qualify for full RUS grant funding.
Members of the Subcommittee on Rural Development, Biotechnology, Specialty Crops and Foreign Agriculture appeared skeptical of parts of the broadband program outlined last week, during the questioning of Cook, RUS assistant administrator David Villano and NTIA head Larry Strickling’s senior advisor, Mark Seifert. Ranking member Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, showed concern for RUS’s rapid expansion and wondered if the agency had the capacity to give out the $2.5 billion in broadband loans and grants. “We have 6,000 employees around the country,” Villano responded, saying the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided some funds for salaries and expenses.
Both agencies are aiming for efficiency in the application process, the witnesses said. NTIA and RUS will review applications separately and then compare lists of accepted projects, removing projects that appear on both lists, Seifert said. Seifert assured the subcommittee that concurrent reviews would reduce lag-time.
The NOFA, the first of three, will be a “model for future broadband investments,” Seifert said. Ongoing mapping efforts will also help the process, including a “rudimentary” broadband map by January or February, he said.
The second panel of witnesses included testimony from the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association, USTelecom, Independent Telephone and Telecommunications Alliance and NCTA. USTelecom CEO Walter McCormick said the net neutrality and interconnection requirement that go beyond the FCC’s policy statement could stifle some of the broadband stimulus goals. Speaking for NCTA, Tom Simmons, Midcontinent Communications senior vice president, agreed, saying the “largely undefined requirements could chill investment and bog providers down in litigation.” - Tim Warren